MANSFIELD – Pizza Hut has announced a global commitment to literacy and reading that engages customers and team members through a coordinated fundraising and community engagement campaign to enable access to literacy resources, empower teachers and inspire readers.
“Nearly 1 billion people in the world cannot read this sentence,” said Artie Starrs, President, Pizza Hut, U.S. “Literacy and reading are bridges to opportunity, and at Pizza Hut, we believe that providing access to literacy and reading resources will help people thrive, creating more prosperous economies and communities.”
Called Pizza Hut: The Literacy Project, the campaign mission is to transform the lives of 100 million people over the course of 10 years by helping them become their best through literacy and reading. The project kicks off on “International Literacy Day,” with the help of celebrity spokesperson Rico Rodriguez.
“Reading books can open your world to places you would never otherwise experience,” said Rodriguez. “Through The Literacy Project, we’re going to be able to inspire reading and literacy all around the world.”
Beginning September 8 and running through October 24, Pizza Hut teams inBucyrus, Galion, Ontario and Mansfieldwill be raising money for partner organization First Book, a recognized nonprofit, social sector leader in supporting equal access to education by providing new books and education resources to schools and programs that serve children in need. Any donation can have a major impact.
• $1 helps take an important step toward literacy
• $3 gives a brand new book
• $5 provides new school supplies
• $10 purchases a backpack of books
All funds raised in Bucyrus, Galion, Ontario and Mansfield for The Literacy Project will provide First Book beneficiaries in the state of Ohio with credits to the First Book Marketplace.These credits will provide the needed purchasing power that allows educators to select from thousands of specially curated book titles and other educational resources available for free or deeply reduced rates.
Pizza Hut has a long history of supporting literacy. The Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Program, which was established by the pizza restaurant in 1984, has been inspiring young people to read for more than 30 years. Roughly 1 in 5 Americans have participated in BOOK IT!, including more than 14 million students this year in 620,000 classrooms nationwide.The BOOK IT! Program is the longest-running, corporate-supported literacy program in the country, and The Literacy Program is building on that foundation.
More information about The Literacy Project can be found at TheLiteracyProject.PizzaHut.com.